Cortisone Injections and Knee Deterioration
Patients are usually given NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroid injections because it is the standard of care. Just because something is the standard does not mean it is correct. Cortisone and other steroid shots are given into joints, especially the knees, when exercise and NSAIDs don’t relieve the pain. In essence, they are given because the family physician, team physician, or orthopedic surgeon has no more treatment options.

We see many patients with chronic pain and sports injuries who go through exercise, physical therapy, NSAIDs, then a stronger NSAID, and eventually progress to cortisone shots. Once this level of care is reached it is only a matter of time before arthroscopies follow. Arthroscopies are offered to ‘clean up’ the area. They do not repair anything typically just scrape away damaged tissue. The patient should be asking “why is the damage there?”  It is there because of all the NSAIDs and steroid injections, which were given by the same physician that is going to the Arthroscopy and eventually the joint replacement.

If one looks at the pathophysiology of arthritis it is clearly a condition that occurs when a joint becomes loose because of ligament injury. Non-healed ligament injury causes an excessive amount of pressure on the other joint tissues such as the menisci. (See A Retrospective Study Shows Prolotherapy is Effective in the Treatment of MRI-Documented Meniscal Tears) Once these go, the cartilage deteriorates. Arthritis means that the joint is deteriorated as manifested by a thinning or degeneration of the joint. Excessive bone forms to try and stabilize the joint which is loose from the underlying ligament laxity. Ligament laxity or weakness is thus the underlying problem in most degenerated joints. Because Prolotherapy gets at the root cause of arthritis it is very successfully in treating this disorder. Prolotherapy helps all stages of arthritis but is best done as early as possible. Prolotherapy can help stimulate the repair of all the structures inside the joint including the ligaments, tendons, menisci, cartilage, and joint capsule. Prolotherapy is the future of sports medicine and eventually will be the future of arthritis care.

It is extremely easy to prevent arthritis from forming. All a patient has to do is heal completely all sports injuries. Since physicians who utilize Prolotherapy are experts in ligament injuries it is best to have one of them on the athletes treatment team. Prolotherapy doctors can help a patient determine when complete healing has occurred. If a patient's ligaments and tendons are as strong or stronger than before the injury there is no risk for arthritis forming in the future. If a patient or athlete continues to play on an injured joint or ligament then arthritis is sure to form. It has to! Arthritis is the bodies response to stabilize a loose joint. A bone spur or bone overgrowth is occurring because the underlying joint and joint stabilizing structures (ligaments) are still weakened and stretched. By obtaining Prolotherapy and strengthening the weakened structures, the impetus for the arthritis forming stops and so does the pain.